The present invention relates to sun visors of the type having a substantially self-supporting relatively thin shell folded into two shell halves with an upholstery cover covering the shell. In particular, the present invention relates to more simply and economically producing a sun visor of the type described with a vanity mirror assembly.
Various methods have been utilized to secure a vanity mirror to a sun visor.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,467 to Cziptschirsch et al. discloses a visor body having a recess for holding a mirror. The section of the covering layer overlapping the recess is more expandable than the remainder of the covering layer. To make this section more expandable, it is punched with holes defining a lattice of the material, and various shaped holes are disclosed. In this configuration, the covering does not have a peripheral free end portion located within the aperture and between shell halves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,723 to Canadas discloses a mirror disposed in a detachable support which is fixed in the cavity of a visor by hooking tabs located on the support into corresponding openings provided in a metal insert. During manufacture of the visor, the metal insert is placed in the bottom of the cavity and covered with a film of foam, and then the entire visor shell is covered with a vinyl cover. Thereafter, the elastic tabs extending from the detachable support are hooked through the vinyl cover to engage the edges of openings formed in the metal insert, thereby securing the vanity to the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,391 to Dykstra discloses a vanity mirror package which is lockably retained within a visor body formed of a folded polymeric core. The core forms a recess, and the vanity mirror package is snap-fitted and held within the recess by means of a pair of facing spaced resilient arms which extend rearwardly from the front core half and include inwardly projecting locking tabs on their ends cooperating with backing tabs to hold the vanity mirror package in place.
U.S. Pat. No.5,338,082 to Miller discloses a sun visor of the type formed from two shell halves folded together with one of the shell halves having an opening therein for insertion of the vanity mirror. An aperture is formed in the upholstery cover approximately the same size as the opening in the shell and is aligned therewith. The free end of the cover folds around the opening and extends into the inside periphery of the opening. Slits are formed in the free end and are placed over a plurality of stakes located around the periphery of the opening and which extend inwardly from the interior of the shell. A bezel having openings spaced to correspond to the stakes is fit over the stakes and sandwiches the free end of the cover against the inside of the shell. The bezel includes sharp prongs which further secure the free end of the cover.
It is desirable to improve and simplify the attachment of a vanity mirror to a sun visor, and to improve and simplify the overall structure of the sun visor.